Senate
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Pat Toomey picked up the endorsement of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, while rival Joe Sestak earned the nod of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Battle ‘10 has more here, and will continue to follow the endorsement game as it develops.
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Toomey and Sestak will be squaring off this week in their only two scheduled debates, the first on Wednesday in Philadelphia, and the second and final debate in Pittsburgh on Friday. Sestak, surely, will be hoping for something big to break Toomey’s consistent lead in the polls. Battle ‘10 will cover these as they happen.
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Despite out-raising Sestak in the third quarter, the Toomey team finds itself short on cash as compared to its Democrat rival, with about $400,000 dollars less on hand than Sestak.
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Earlier this month, Joe Sestak appeared on a cable “news” program and described the U.S. Chamber of Commerce as “not American” and generally unworthy of public trust for not disclosing its donors. The Democrat meme, popularized by President Obama, has proliferated, despite a New York Times rebuttal. Battle ‘10 offers Sestak’s words, and that rebuttal, for your viewing pleasure:
Gubernatorial
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Tom Corbett and Dan Onorato squared off in their second of three debates this weekend, to little effect. The hour-long debate was a mainly parochial affair, broadcast live in Pittsburgh but delayed throughout the state, and airing during what would turn out to be a Phillies loss to the Giants in Game 1 of the NLCS.
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Corbett and Onorato will be getting together again tonight for their final debate, this time in Philadelphia. It’s being broadcast live, statewide, and will likely be less “well behaved” than the last get-together, as it’s Dan Onorato’s last chance to make an impression on an as yet reluctant electorate. Battle ‘10 will cover the debate.
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Dan Onorato is “at home in labor crowds“, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. It’s a headline that should surprise no one, but an article that underscores Onorato’s challenge of turning out the Democrat vote in Philadelphia, a city with a 6-1 Democrat voter advantage.
Congressional
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PA-8 — Mike Fitzpatrick, in the second fight of his political life — this time, if an F&M poll is any indication, at an advantage — is severely underfunded compared to Democrat incumbent Pat Murphy. Fitzpatrick brought in nearly a half million in the third quarter, while Murphy brought in a whopping $940,000.
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PA-15 — Charlie Dent, the incumbent Republican in this western Pennsylvania district, is generally seen as a “nice guy” by just about everyone on both sides of the aisle. Even his opponent said as much earlier this year. And apparently the people of his district agree. Dent’s leading his opponent, John Callahan, by 17 points.
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PA-4 — Democrat Jason Altmire, swept into office in 2006 in this western district, is facing a modest re-election fight from Keith Rothfus. Despite a $400,000 anti-Altmire ad campaign by Americans for Job Security, Rothfus faces a challenge in his quest to topple Altmire, thanks to the incumbent’s triangulation. Altmire has said, “the issues [Nancy Pelosi] pursued were inconsistent with the best interests of the district I was elected to represent.” Further, he’s vowed to lobby in congress for a new speaker should Democrats maintain control. This will be an interesting race to follow on Election Night.
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PA-3 — Mike Kelly continues to lead incumbent blue-dog Democrat Kathy Dahlkemper by 13 points, according to a survey conducted by The Hill. The DCCC withdrew its financial support of Dahlkemper last week after preliminarily writing this race off as a loss.
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PA-8 — For anyone who missed it last week, Battle ‘10 put together a short clip called “Crass v. Class” that features Mike Fitzpatrick and Pat Murphy, in 20 seconds each, speaking to their respective bases, articulating their thoughts about their opponent. One ends with class, the other, with a curse. You’ve been warned: